Nikolaos of Sparta

Nikolaos of Sparta was a Spartan general during the Peloponnesian War and the stepfather of mercenary Kassandra.

Biography
Nikolaos was born in Sparta, and he married the granddaughter of King Leonidas I, Myrrine. Nikolaos was known as a fierce warrior from his service in the Spartan military, and he raised his stepdaughter Kassandra to become as great a leader as her great-grandfather. In 446 BC, Nikolaos had a son of his own, Alexios, but the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi prophesied that Alexios would bring about the fall of Sparta. Nikolaos responded by handing his son over to priest Demetrios Peris for execution, despite his wife's pleas, and he watched as the priest prepared to throw Alexios from Mount Taygetos. However, Kassandra - in an attempt to save her brother - accidentally pushed both the priest and the baby to their apparent death, leading to Sergios Livas and the crowd calling for Nikolaos to execute his stepdaughter for treason. He reluctantly but dutifully proceeded to push his daughter from the cliff, and he believed her to be dead.

Nikolaos would go on to adopt Stentor as a son, and Nikolaos came to be nicknamed "the Wolf of Sparta" due to his ferocity in battle. Stentor was raised in the military fashion, following in his father's footsteps. In 431 BC, Nikolaos was sent to conquer Megaris from the pro-Athens regime, and his son Stentor served as his second-in-command. Unbeknownst to Nikolaos, the mysterious criminal Elpenor contracted a mercenary to assassinate Nikolaos in order to prolong the Peloponnesian War and allow for him to continue profiting from it. However, the mercenary turned out to be Kassandra, who was informed by her first mate Barnabas that "the Wolf of Sparta" whom she had been asked to kill was actually "Nikolaos of Sparta", whom she recognized as her father. She helped Stentor win the Siege of Megaris in exchange for being able to meet with Nikolaos, and she ultimately decided to spare Nikolaos, despite longing for revenge. Nikolaos admitted that he had failed in his duty to protect Kassandra and Alexios and that Kassandra was not his biological daughter, and he decided to desert his post and "find his honor"; he told Kassandra to find Myrrine and talk to her about the truth.

In 429 BC, Nikolaos returned to his post and secretly assisted his son Stentor in his efforts to conquer Boeotia. Nikolaos executed the Boeotian champion Aristaios outside a fort, and he was found by his daughter, who had been sent by King Archidamus of Sparta to assist Stentor. Ultimately, she convinced Nikolaos and Stentor to join her crew aboard the Adrestia.